Improvement in grain-registers



T. N. WHEELER.

Grain Register.

No. 36.045. Patented July 29, 1862.

)l'a'inewes in: 2 [m 672 Q Q i M;

N. prrzns Plwlo-Lflhcgrapher. Washinglow nu i I I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEO T. NORTHRUP l/VHEELER, OF RIO, -WISCONSIN.

IMPROVEMENT IN GRAIN-REGISTERS.

- Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 36.045. dated July "29, 18(22.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, T. NORTHRUP WHEELER, of Rio, in the county of Columbia, of the State of Visconsin, have invented a new and useful machine for registering the quantity by meas ure of grai n, salt, coal, and other articles usually bought and sold by measures of' volume; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which Figure l is a plan or top view of the ma chine with the top lid lifted, so as to expose the wheel-work or gearing; Fig. 2, a side or front view showing the face or dial which indicates the quantity measured; Figs. 3 and 4, sections of particular parts, to be hereinafter described. In the drawings, a, Figs. 1 and 3, represents a half-bushel, bushel, or any other measure of capacity adapted to the purpose and the size of the machine. Around its upper edge is a flange, a, fitting into grooves in the sides of the chamber A. This measure is made to slide freely between the two sides of the Chamber, its bottom resting upon the frame B, Figs. 1, 2, and 3.

O is a lever secured at one end by a pin or screw, 0, the other end being free, slightly beveled, and projecting through the side of the box which contains the registering machinery into the groove on the inner side of the chain her A. To this lever O is attached a pawl, D, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, and which takes into the teeth of the ratchet-wheel E. Below this pawl D is a dog, F, working freely on its pivot f and laying hold of the teeth in the ratchet-wheel as they are advanced by the pawl D. On the shaft or axle of the ratchetwheel E there is a pinion with a certain number of teeth or cogs which take into the teeth of a large wheel the shaft or axis of which, projecting through the front of the box, carries the hand which indicates on the dial-plate G the units of measure. On the shaft of this large wheel is another pinion with an appropriate number of cogs which take into the teeth of another wheel upon whose shaft or axle there is another pinion taking into a wheel with the proper number of teeth, whose hollow axle plays freely around the axle of the largest wheel, and,proj ecting through the box and the face of the dial, carries the hand that indicates the hundreds of measure.

H is a lid on the top, and I another on the front of the box containing the machinery and dial, either or both of which may be closed and bolted or locked.

K is aspring at one end of the box,attached by a wire or cord to the lever G at the other end at or near its center (1. Instead of this arrangement, however, the spring, curved, spiral,or any other proper form, might be applied immediately to and on either side of the lever.

s is a small flat spring to press the measure more firmly against the projecting end of the lever G.

From this description the operation of this machine may be readily appreciated. Assuming the front to be that on which the dial is placed, the measure is placed 011 the righthand end of the frame B, its flange taking into the grooves in the sides of the chamber r As the measure is advanced toward the other end its flange comes in contact with the projecting end of the lever O and carries it along until it reaches the position indicated in red lines in Fig. 1. This motion of the lever necessarily carries along with it the pawl D, and advances the ratchet-wheel E in the direction indicated by the arrows. As soon as the lever is released from the measure it is drawn back again by the spring K, attached to it by the wire or cord is, the pawltaking hold of another tooth ready for a repetition of the operation from a new impulse. The ratchet-wheel is prevented from being carried back by the pawl by the dog F, which falls into the new notch presented to it at each movementof the pawl, as shown in Fig. 4.

The arrangement and combination of the wheels and pinions are only a modification of well-known clock-gearing, and, although the index is shown to register units, hundreds, and thousands, other than this decimal arrangement of the parts may be adopted, if desired or deemed advisable, without affecting the principle upon which my machine is constructed.

Vheat, generally, and other grains often are sold by the weighed bushel; but this presents no impediment to the use of my machine for the same purpose. To convert the registered bushels into its equivalent of weighed bushels, it is only necessary to weigh with a pair of steelyards or other common apparatus one or more bushels by measure to obtain the average weight of the grain, and by simple proportion reduce the whole measured amount to its equivalent number of bushels of the standard weight.

It is not absolutely necessary that the lever C should be placed and operated in the particular manner set forth. Any other arrangement by-which the measure or vehicle containing the substance to be measured can be made to come into similar contact with it each time will answer the purpose.

Having thus fully described the nature and operation of my invention, what I claim is The registering of grain-measures by means of lever 0, spring K, and sliding measure a, substantially as herein set forth.

T. NORTHRUP \VHEELER. Witnesses:

F. RFARNHAM, JOHN HASEY, Jr. 

